Los Angeles:
Water damage and overcrowding could explain the collapse of a balcony at a California apartment building, sending six Irish nationals plummeting to their deaths, media reports said Wednesday.
Five Irish citizens and an Irish-American woman, all aged either 21 or 22, died after an apartment balcony collapsed at a building in Berkeley, located two blocks from the University of California campus.
At least seven other people were injured in the accident, which took place in the early hours of Tuesday.
"It appears to be a classic case of dry rot, meaning water intruded into the building (and) rotted the wood" supporting the balcony, civil and structural engineer Gene St Onge, who saw the damage, told The Los Angeles Times.
The San Francisco Chronicle cited a member of the city committee that approved the construction of the building as saying the balconies were intended to be decorative, and not a space for entertaining groups of people.
"This was meant just to be a place where someone could stand out for a bit, get a breath of fresh air. Not for something like 13 people," said Carrie Olson, whose 14-year stint on the Berkeley Design Review Committee ended last year.
A spokesman for the city, Matthai Chakko, told the Los Angeles Times that an investigation was under way and that inspectors were looking into the state of the building. Results would not be available for several days, he said.
The Irish national flag flew at half-mast and parliament was suspended Wednesday in tribute to the six victims, who were attending a 21st birthday party.
The Irish students were all on the J1 work-study summer visa program, which allows them to teach, study, conduct research and work legally during their stay in the United States.
About 8,000 Irish students applied for the J1 program this year, with California the most popular destination.
Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan said relatives of the six dead and seven injured were headed to California.